


Should Have Been Me

by beemblebummed



Category: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, canon-divergent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-22
Updated: 2015-05-22
Packaged: 2018-03-31 17:32:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3986722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beemblebummed/pseuds/beemblebummed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>canon-divergent AU where instead of Zack dying, it's Cloud.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning Of His End

**Author's Note:**

> warnings are posted on individual chapters and where they occur!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zack and Cloud have escaped the clutches of the Shinra company, only to be hunted down by the army, and by the Turks. Both have different reasons to get there before the other, the army intending to slaughter the Mako-infused men, and the Turks intending to get them back to Director Tseng before that can happen. Of course, things don't always go according to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- fighting  
> \- violence  
> \- death  
> \- character death  
> \- uhhh there's blood?? and Reno tries to do surgery on Cloud  
> \- guns, maybe  
> \- swords, maybe

Zack didn’t even have second thoughts. He knew exactly what he was going to do, and he was going to do it. He needed to protect Cloud, and he would do exactly that, even if it killed him—literally or not. There was too much Cloud still needed to do, people that he needed to be there for. Zack wasn’t going to let him lose that, and he’d fight tooth and nail to make sure that his friend was alive to do those things.

 

He ran head first towards the enemy—a seemingly endless crowd of soldiers ready to shoot him until he was down, ready to fight until someone was dead, no matter who it would end up being. He felt several bullets hit his shoulder pads first. A barrage of them came again at his legs as his sword sliced through the chests of the first two soldiers. He heard the metal of his blade cut through their armor, he felt it pierce their skin and the first drop of blood was tasted.

 

As those two fell, Zack turned and swung his sword horizontally across the throats of seven other soldiers. He heard the soft squelch as their blood burst from the veins in their necks, and forced himself to continue, to fight until he couldn’t move anymore.

 

He hated it.

 

The feeling of it, the thought that he was taking the life of people—real live people, who breathed and talked and laughed and cried—made him so sick.

 

He hated it.

 

_They attacked first. They wanted this. They forced me to do this._

 

Thoughts such as these, thoughts of keeping Cloud safe, were what drove him on. By now, he had several bullets buried in each arm and leg, and could feel the pinch of the tiny metallic objects in his stomach, in his hips. The warmth and stickiness of his blood was soon felt afterwards, his strength beginning to ebb as it escape his body.

 

He didn’t want to die. He didn’t want Cloud to die. He found himself wishing that he could have things the way they were. Zack wanted Angeal back, he wanted Sephiroth back, he wanted Genesis back…. He wanted his family, and his friends, to be with him again, to return to the yesterday that he cherished so much.

 

Zack didn’t even realize that his eyes had begun to sting with tears, that his sick feeling had returned with a vengeance. His body was losing the fight that he was mentally and emotionally winning against. He wanted to fight on, to end the threat that sought to hurt him and his friend. He was _ready_ for it, and his body was going to be the first thing to give out on him.

 

He missed the soldier sneaking up from behind, focusing on the several that were edging towards him on his front and left side. In a panic, he let out a yell and did a complete spin, holding his blade out in an attempt to hit all of them. It was then that he collapsed, managing to dig it into the ground to hold himself up on his knees, at least. His eyesight began to get foggy and unclear, the mix of blood, tears, and exhaustion all playing a big toll on him.

 

He didn’t even see the soldier that ran up to him and gave him a solid punch to the face. Zack couldn’t handle anymore. His grip on his blade loosened and over he fell, hitting the dust with a groan. He was down, and completely at the mercy of the army before him.

 

Barely conscious, he was thrown over the shoulder of a nearby soldier, and carried towards a vehicle not too far away from the battlefield. He didn’t know where exactly that was until he heard a deeper voice nearby say “What do we do with that one?”

 

_Cloud,_ was all Zack could think. And he couldn’t _do_ anything.

 

“We leave him,” came another voice. “He’s looking pretty dead right about now. Oh.. no, he’s breathing. Somebody shoot him.”

 

Zack stirred just a little on his captor’s shoulder, trying to do something, do _any_ thing. He couldn’t _move_ and he couldn’t help. He had to help, he had to save Cloud, he had to do something! Cloud couldn’t die! Not him too, not after Sephiroth and Angeal and Genesis and …

 

“Cloud…!” he cried hoarsely.

 

He heard a tiny gasp and Cloud’s voice.

 

“N..no, wait, wait wai—”

 

There was no chance given to the blonde-hired lad, a loud gunshot shattering any silence and cutting Cloud off effective immediately. Following the loud noise, there was a brief quiet. Zack thought that meant they had killed him, that whatever they did, they did it fast.

 

And then he heard Cloud whine softly, soon gasping and wheezing.

 

“Why did you shoot his stomach?” demanded the second soldier.

 

“Because why not? He’s gonna die either way, so why not make it fun for me?”

 

Zack could feel himself slipping away, and he could do nothing to stop that. He was starting to lose the ability to feel anything as strongly as he would, were he uninjured and awake. His anger and rage began to fade to a gray, fuzzy feeling, the intensity of it all just dying out. Zack was able to stay awake just long enough for the person carrying him to start moving away from Cloud's body, and the last thing he saw when he managed to finally look up would stay with him forever.

 

Cloud was lying there against the rock, both hands pushing against his middle in a desperate attempt to cease the flow of blood. Zack's vision cleared for just a moment and he could see that Cloud had tears streaking down his face.

 

Nothing could be done. And that was probably the worst part of it all.

 

Zack didn’t even have second thoughts. He knew exactly what he was going to do, and he was going to do it. He needed to protect Cloud, and he would do exactly that, even if it killed him—literally or not. There was too much Cloud still needed to do, people that he needed to be there for. Zack wasn’t going to let him lose that, and he’d fight tooth and nail to make sure that his friend was alive to do those things.

 

He ran head first towards the enemy—a seemingly endless crowd of soldiers ready to shoot him until he was down, ready to fight until someone was dead, no matter who it would end up being. He felt several bullets hit his shoulder pads first. A barrage of them came again at his legs as his sword sliced through the chests of the first two soldiers. He heard the metal of his blade cut through their armor, he felt it pierce their skin and the first drop of blood was tasted.

 

As those two fell, Zack turned and swung his sword horizontally across the throats of seven other soldiers. He heard the soft squelch as their blood burst from the veins in their necks, and forced himself to continue, to fight until he couldn’t move anymore.

 

He hated it.

 

The feeling of it, the thought that he was taking the life of people—real live people, who breathed and talked and laughed and cried—made him so sick.

 

He hated it.

 

_They attacked first. They wanted this. They forced me to do this._

 

Thoughts such as these, thoughts of keeping Cloud safe, were what drove him on. By now, he had several bullets buried in each arm and leg, and could feel the pinch of the tiny metallic objects in his stomach, in his hips. The warmth and stickiness of his blood was soon felt afterwards, his strength beginning to ebb as it escape his body.

 

He didn’t want to die. He didn’t want Cloud to die. He found himself wishing that he could have things the way they were. Zack wanted Angeal back, he wanted Sephiroth back, he wanted Genesis back…. He wanted his family, and his friends, to be with him again, to return to the yesterday that he cherished so much.

 

Zack didn’t even realize that his eyes had begun to sting with tears, that his sick feeling had returned with a vengeance. His body was losing the fight that he was mentally and emotionally winning against. He wanted to fight on, to end the threat that sought to hurt him and his friend. He was _ready_ for it, and his body was going to be the first thing to give out on him.

 

He missed the soldier sneaking up from behind, focusing on the several that were edging towards him on his front and left side. In a panic, he let out a yell and did a complete spin, holding his blade out in an attempt to hit all of them. It was then that he collapsed, managing to dig it into the ground to hold himself up on his knees, at least. His eyesight began to get foggy and unclear, the mix of blood, tears, and exhaustion all playing a big toll on him.

 

He didn’t even see the soldier that ran up to him and gave him a solid punch to the face. Zack couldn’t handle anymore. His grip on his blade loosened and over he fell, hitting the dust with a groan. He was down, and completely at the mercy of the army before him.

 

Barely conscious, he was thrown over the shoulder of a nearby soldier, and carried towards a vehicle not too far away from the battlefield. He didn’t know where exactly that was until he heard a deeper voice nearby say “What do we do with that one?”

 

_Cloud,_ was all Zack could think. And he couldn’t _do_ anything.

 

“We leave him,” came another voice. “He’s looking pretty dead right about now. Oh.. no, he’s breathing. Somebody shoot him.”

 

Zack stirred just a little on his captor’s shoulder, trying to do something, do _any_ thing. He couldn’t _move_ and he couldn’t help. He had to help, he had to save Cloud, he had to do something! Cloud couldn’t die! Not him too, not after Sephiroth and Angeal and Genesis and …

 

“Cloud…!” he cried hoarsely.

 

He heard a tiny gasp and Cloud’s voice.

 

“N..no, wait, wait wai—”

 

There was no chance given to the blonde-hired lad, a loud gunshot shattering any silence and cutting Cloud off effective immediately. Following the loud noise, there was a brief quiet. Zack thought that meant they had killed him, that whatever they did, they did it fast.

 

And then he heard Cloud whine softly, soon gasping and wheezing.

 

“Why did you shoot his stomach?” demanded the second soldier.

 

“Because why not? He’s gonna die either way, so why not make it fun for me?”

 

Zack could feel himself slipping away, and he could do nothing to stop that. He was starting to lose the ability to feel anything as strongly as he would, were he uninjured and awake. His anger and rage began to fade to a gray, fuzzy feeling, the intensity of it all just dying out. Zack was able to stay awake just long enough for the person carrying him to start moving away from Cloud's body, and the last thing he saw when he managed to finally look up would stay with him forever.

 

Cloud was lying there against the rock, both hands pushing against his middle in a desperate attempt to cease the flow of blood. Zack's vision cleared for just a moment and he could see that Cloud had tears streaking down his face.

 

Nothing could be done. And that was probably the worst part of it all.

 

Zack would have stayed incapacitated if he wasn't suddenly thrown down on the ground. He could just barely hear yelling and the sound of a gunshot again. It almost felt as though he were stuck in a deep dark blackness, unable to move, but still aware of nearly everything going on around him.

 

He was roughly shaken at the shoulder, hearing a family voice now.

 

“C.. Cissnei, ” he whispered weakly.

 

“Zack, I need you to wake up! Zack! Get up, come on, you need to get up! ”

 

The SOLDIER groaned softly and managed to open his eyes, blinking a few times as the sun glared down. Cissnei blocked it out with her head, leaning into his sight with a fearful expression, which was something that was pretty helpful. He was able to open his eyes completely, his vision becoming clear and decent enough to see fine.

 

“Cissnei, ” he repeated, his breaths quickening as the pain from his injuries flared up again. “I n.. need to.. ”

 

She carefully slid her hand under his head, steadying it before looking over her shoulder and shouting, “Reno! ”

 

It wasn't a moment later the redheaded Turk was right there, helping to pull Zack off the ground as soon as he saw that it was needed. They did it quickly, first pulling him up into a sitting position, and then to his feet. He tried to stay quiet, tried to swallow the cries of pain that threatened to rise up. He blinked several times, now focusing on the regulation of his breaths as he searched the area, consisting of the Shinra army on one side and about five Turks. Zack was with Cissnei and Reno, and he saw Rude and the other two Turks, who were strangers, trying to convince the army to back off.

 

“Where's Cloud? ” Zack asked groggily. “One of the soldiers, they shot Cloud. Th.. they shot him while he was down, he ca-can't move, he—”

 

“That may be a problem, ” Reno said quietly, nodding his head in Rude's direction. It looked like the situation was about to go south. Before Zack could argue with that observation, he was given a light pat on the back, interrupted by the redheaded Turk again, “but I'm gonna go find him. Cissnei, take Zack to the copter. ”

 

“No, I gotta go find—”

 

“You're no use to Cloud if you're dead, ” Cissnei told him firmly, sliding her arm around his back to support him in some way and lead him back to the helicopter.

 

They got to the intended destination, and once Cissnei had helped Zack into the seats, she climbed into the compartment with him. Glancing repeatedly over to her colleagues, she dug around for any sort of first aid supplies, hoping that she could be of some use to the injuries Zack had sustained, at least while the situation was still calm— if that's what it could be called.

 

Meanwhile, Reno was trying to talk his way through the separated group of about three soldiers, who were now circling Cloud, someone that was still very conscious and in a lot of pain.

 

“Listen to me, that man is dying, and you assholes shot him, ” the Turk hissed. “The objective has changed! They were ordered back alive! Just phone the president, and he'll tell you! ”

 

“They're fugitives, and the objective is to terminate them, ” a soldier snapped.

 

Reno caught Cloud's eye by glancing over the shoulders of the Shinra agents. Those bright blue Mako-infused eyes were pleading and pitiful, and they were fading. The quiet gasps and whimpers from the dying fugitive were growing weaker and quieter, the strength he had slowly fading.

 

“You can't just let him die! ” Reno insisted, becoming desperate. He then shook his head and held up his hands, beginning again in a quiet voice, “Look, I'm just trying to follow orders. I don't wanna get in trouble with my boss, and it'll be a lot better—”

 

With no warning, Reno shot forward, holding up his arms straight to slam into the soldiers' throats as he rushed by. He successfully floored them, and then made a dash for Cloud, not able to waste time taking care of how he lifted the guy, considering time was definitely not something anyone had that was facing Shinra.

 

He had to ignore Cloud's pained yell, stumbling as he tried to race back to the helicopter.

 

“Rude, run! ” the Turk barked, dashing by the bald man.

 

There was not a moment wasted.

 

Rude drew his gun but then took off after Reno, only having it out for when he needed it, which would probably be very soon. And anyway, it took a minute for the soldiers behind them a good while to actually process what was going on, and then a longer time for the highest-ranking guy to give an order and then even more time for everyone to get the order and actually start firing.

 

By then, of course, the Turks' copters were in the air, Cissnei and Reno in one with Zack and Cloud, and Rude in the other with two other Turk members. Cissnei was flying, while Reno was in the passenger compartment with the SOLDIER boys. Everyone had headsets on now except Cloud.

 

The red-haired Turk was trying to get the bottle of alcohol from the medical kit open without spilling it everywhere, looking up out of instinct and nervousness, considering the compartment where he rode was very exposed. Of course, the tail of the copter was facing the fronts of the enemy copters that were pretty far behind, but that didn't make Reno feel any better.

 

“Do something! ” Zack suddenly shouted, trying to stay standing by holding onto overhead handles, watching Cloud worriedly. His friend looked so weak, like he was going to just drop dead any second. The only thing that comforted Zack in the slightest was the fact that Cloud was still wheezing and coughing, still gripping his midsection in a continuous attempt to stop his bleeding.

 

“I'm trying, ” Reno snapped, his voice strained as he tried to pry Cloud's hands away from the wound. There was blood all over the ex-Shinra's gloved hands, trailing up his arms a bit and leaking all over his clothes. Reno almost paused to contemplate why he was getting a stranger's blood on his hands-- literally-- but then thought better on it, knowing that now was not the time to second-guess something like this. Even if he didn't know the kid, he still needed to try and save him, if only because of Tseng's orders.

 

Cloud knew he needed to move his hands so he could be taken care of, but it was instinct that kept them there, the thought of stopping making him wonder if he would die. He didn't want to die.

 

“I need you to get his damn hands out of the way, ” the Turk said harshly, nodding his head towards Cloud. “I can't get the alcohol on the wounds and we do _not_ have any to waste. ”

 

Zack let go of the handle, wincing as he limped a small pace forward, kneeling beside Cloud in the floor. He made sure his friend could see exactly who it was nearby, not wanting to startle and possibly cause further damage to Cloud. Like Reno's alcohol, there was no time that could be wasted. Zack grabbed Cloud's arms, trying to carefully but quickly get them out of the way.

 

The moment they were gone, Reno more or less dumped a good portion of the liquid over Cloud's wound, causing an immediate and very strong reaction. He tried to pull his arms out of Zack's grasp, breathing rapidly before releasing an agonized scream that, even without having a headset, was loud enough to be heard just fine by the others around him. Reno had to ignore it, and the longer he looked Cloud over, the more he realized that the belt was going to have to be removed so he could either operate on him in the passenger compartment of a moving, fleeing helicopter, or wait until they got back to a medical professional, hoping Cloud wouldn't die before then.

 

“I've gotta get this belt off of him, ” he finally said, his words a frustrated growl. “I'm gonna have to cut it. Otherwise, I could do more damage, and there's plenty of that done already. ”

 

“What do I do? ” Zack demanded, reaching down Cloud's arms to get a better grip on his wrists instead. It would be easier to hold him that way, and if Reno was going to cut the belt off, not even the smallest slip-up could happen.

 

Reno reached into the open medical kit beside him, grabbing a pair of scissors before replying, “I need you to keep his damn hands out of the way. ”


	2. Fade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zack can't comprehend the loss of Cloud, and Reno will hold onto his failure to save the young man's life for a while. As Cloud joins the Lifestream, his final thoughts reach out to Aerith's mind, causing great concern for her SOLDIER friend at the mention of his name in them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- character death occurs  
> \- emotions  
> \- after sign language is mentioned, most of the italics are what Zack and Cloud are signing to each other

Putting the alcohol down, the Turk slid his empty hand under the belt just a bit, holding it up so he could get the scissors around it. He had blood coating both hands now and it was only going to get worse if Cloud's wound wasn't stitched back together, or blocked at the very least. He tried to keep his attention away from thoughts like that, and focused on getting the scissors through the leather and get it out of the way.

 

“Z-Zack, ” Cloud gasped, his eyes wide with fear and pain.

 

The SOLDIER probably wouldn't have noticed that his friend was speaking to him if he had been looking up at Reno instead, but he wasn't, and he saw Cloud's lips move. He nodded, carefully letting go of one hand so Cloud could sign what he needed to say.

 

The movements of his hands were slow and shaky, but the message was clear.

 

_Tell Tifa I'm sorry. For her father, for Sephiroth, and tell her I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise._

 

Zack was pretty relieved that he couldn't verbally communicate with Cloud, otherwise his voice would have given away that he was more of a wreck then he seemed. He used his free hand to sign back, _You can tell her what you need to when we get back to Nibelheim._

 

_I won't make it back._

At that, Zack shook his head and, trying to fight back the tears, signed in reply, _Don't say that, we're going to make it back. You're going to be fine._

 

“Stop interrupting him, ” Reno suddenly said over the headset. He got a look from Zack that he didn't see, too busy now to do so. He had tongs in one hand, and a tweezer-like tool in another, trying to keep Cloud's wound open to reach in and get them out with the tweezers. “If these are his last words, you should probably let him speak. ”

 

“He's going to make it, ” Zack insisted firmly, the tremble in his voice the only thing that gave away how scared he really was. “You're going to fix him. ”

 

“That's the thing,” Reno muttered, slipping the tweezers between his pinky and ring finger and then grabbing the alcohol again to pour some over the area. Cloud jolted at it, grinding his teeth together and covering his mouth with his free hand. The Turk couldn't even spare a glance, though he was able to operate and speak, which he did, finishing his comment quietly, “I don't think I can fix this. There is definitely a bullet in here, which may be too deep, and he.. has probably already lost too much blood.”

 

Zack would have probably stared at Reno for a long time if Cloud didn't try to pull his arm away, succeeding in getting his friend's attention. He could feel it. He knew something was about to happen, and he knew it was going to happen soon. Once he could see Zack's eyes, though, those beautiful eyes-- bright and blue like the sky, lined with little traces of green, like materia, or nature-- Cloud felt so much better. He really took it in. It would probably be the last time he ever saw this face, the last time he could say, or in this case sign, anything to Zack...

 

_Thank you for everything. I'm sorry._

 

Cloud took a deep breath and coughed harshly, his entire body jolting from it. Reno made a displeased noise, and then Zack watched in horror as the light faded out of his friend’s eyes. His mouth hung open, as though he were going to try to breathe in again, but failed.

 

“Hah!” the Turk suddenly exclaimed, shocking Zack into looking up. The redhead held between the tweezers a small piece of metal: the bullet that had, apparently, killed Cloud.

 

It was then that Reno actually noticed his patient wasn’t breathing. The realization sunk in and he tossed the tools aside, climbing to his feet to move around behind the SOLDIER. If Zack started to lose control, whether it was from sadness or anger, Reno needed to be able to grab him and keep him from lashing out and the like.

 

“Listen to me, kid, you can’t grieve right now—”

 

Zack began to shake Cloud, his voice raising in pitch as he cried, “Cloud? Cloud, wake up! Hey! Cloud, wake up! Y-you can’t.. no! Cloud!”

 

Reno slowly reached around Zack, resting his hands experimentally on the SOLDIER’s arms to test out how he would react to touch. Just as the Turk had expected, Zack jerked himself away from the contact, growling briefly before focusing again on his friend.

 

“Cloud?” he said, completely in denial. Cloud couldn’t be dead. He couldn’t. No, he was too important, he was too wonderful and kind and… no, he couldn’t be dead. Zack couldn’t lose anyone else, not again.

 

“You can’t do this right now,” Reno repeated, grabbing Zack’s shoulders. “We have bigger problems on our hands at the moment—”

 

Zack, again, swatted the man away. “ _No!_ ” he shouted, hunching over with a small sob. “No, no, this isn’t right, this isn’t how it’s supposed to be…”

 

Reno paused for a moment and then shook his head. He pulled down a small, somewhat hidden compartment in the ceiling, and retrieved a syringe filled with a liquid from there. He looked at Zack for a moment, silently wondering if this would be necessary. He didn’t wanna piss off someone who could easily snap his neck like a twig, especially in such a volatile state… But it had to be done, apparently. The SOLDIER would no doubt cause more damage while conscious in his grief-stricken, rest-deprived state, and Reno wasn’t going to take that risk, especially not now.

 

He then took the needle and stuck it straight into Zack’s neck, injecting him with the fluids before the instrument could be smacked away.

 

“What did you do to me?!” he demanded, sitting back up and looking over his shoulder at Reno, who was backing up with raised hands, the gesture meant to be a submissive one.

 

“No hard feelings, man,” Reno muttered, slowly lowering his hands to shove one into a pocket. He let the other one wander to his back, ready to grab his gun if need be.

 

Zack carefully lifted Cloud’s head off of his lap, setting it down gently in the floor. He then attempted to stand, finding himself off-balanced and staggering somewhat. He blinked a few times as his vision became blurry, eyebrows knitting together to make a shocked and betrayed expression.

 

“Wh... what?” he asked, his voice a small noise that would soon be much harder to use. Already, Zack’s balance was completely gone, and the next time he started to tip towards one side, he would fall, and be unable to get back up.

 

“It’s a sedative,” the Turk said, shrugging his shoulders. “You’re not yourself right now, and it’s understandable. But I’m not overly fond of compromising myself and Cissnei, especially in a situation this tense. Hopefully when you wake up later, you’ll be more... forgiving.”

 

After that, Zack wasn’t sure how much the redhead continued talking. His hearing was gone, and that was when he toppled over with a groan, exhausted and ready to pass out. He tried to say something, anything at all, but nothing was working right. His eyes slowly flickered shut and then Zack was gone.

 

Only a few miles away, Aerith was tending her flowers in her church, completely lost in thought as she went about her business. With no warning, she heard a voice, a small and sorrowful voice.

 

_Zack…. Tifa…. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me._

 

The flowergirl stopped, tensing up and looking around. Her eyes glinted with concern, though this sensation was normal, and quite common. Hearing Zack’s name was what made this time different, and although she knew very well it could be another Zack, one she didn’t know, Aerith still had a nagging feeling it was hers.

 

She concentrated now, listening hard for the voice again, hoping whoever it was would speak again.

 

_Tifa. I can’t keep my promise,_ the voice continued. _I couldn’t keep my promise and I’m so sorry. Please forgive me._

 

“Oh, no,” Aerith whispered, her heart aching with the pain of whoever this person was. It was so deep and cold, with fear and sorrow. This was another common thing, but this was… so strong.

 

She instinctively reached her hands together, clasping them in a way similar to praying. Aerith knew a Zack, and she knew that he was involved with SOLDIER, so already the young lady was thinking up scenarios for this voice she heard: someone who died in the line of duty, someone who sacrificed themselves for Zack…

 

Whatever the case was, it was undeniable that the person the voice belonged to was _not_ ready to return to the planet, like many. Aerith knew that, by now, she should probably be used to that. She should probably be indifferent or at least numb to the pain felt when she heard the voices of people’s sprits returning to the Lifestream, but she wasn’t. She just couldn’t ignore it, and it always got to her.

 

It was times like these that Aerith really wished she had a continuous way to actually communicate with her SOLDIER friend.


End file.
